1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a printing system and a method thereof. More particularly, the present general inventive concept relates to a printing system which displays a file list with respect to document files and image files stored in a host computer on a display device of an image forming apparatus to allow a user to select and print one of the displayed files, and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ink-jet, laser and bubble-jet printers are connected to a host computer to receive print data from the host computer and print the print data on paper. In general, the host computer is connected to the printer in one-to-one correspondence. However, a plurality of hosts may be connected to one or more printers through a network. That is, a general printing system is embodied by one or a plurality of host computers connected to a printer and the printer receiving print data from the host computers.
Images files, such as Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG), Tag Image File Format (TIF), and Bitmap (BMP), are opened by a dedicated program for opening a file of a corresponding format, i.e., an image processing program, such as Photoshop, Kodak Imaging, etc., and printed in an image forming apparatus upon a printing command from the image processing program. The image printing method requires a user to recognize the format of an image file, execute the image processing program for the file format, and command the image forming apparatus to print the image file.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional printing system.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional printing system comprises a host computer 10 and a printer 20. The host computer 10 includes a hard disk drive 11 provided with a driver program (driver) 11a for interfacing with a printer 20 and an image processing program (APP) 11b, a controller 12 having a central processing unit (CPU) 12a and a Random Access Memory (RAM) 12b, an input device (input) 13, such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a monitor 14 for displaying an image file processed in the image processing program (APP) 11b, which is an application program. The printer 20 prints out print data transmitted from the host computer 10. The conventional printing system requires a process of loading an image file desired by a user by using the image processing program 11b, outputting the loaded image file onto the monitor 14, and if the user wants to print the image file, printing the image file by transmitting the print data on the image file to the printer 20. Accordingly, the user must set up the image processing program 11b for processing the image file the user wants to print in the host computer 10, select the desired image file by using the image processing program 11b, and command the printer 20 to print the selected image file. In short, the printing method of the conventional printing system requires many processes to print an image file and the user is only able to print the image file through the host computer 10.